My Very Own Batman
by Bookworm Till The End
Summary: When Steph faces a traumatic event, she can no longer hold it together.  In comes Batman to save the day.  Rated M for scenes of domestic violence and some language and just to be safe.
1. Joe's SlipUp

A/N: Disclaimer- I own nothing.

Warning- If you dislike of scenes of domestic violence, i suggest that you do not read this story.

Chapter 1

I'm Stephanie Plum. You may also know me as the Bombshell Bounty Hunter, Cupcake, Babe, and quite a few of names that I would rather not say. At 125 pounds (give or take a few depending upon what I had eaten recently), 5' 7" without heels or teased hair, blue eyes, and shoulder length brown hair, I run around Trenton, New Jersey trying to rid the city of scum bag felons. I work for my cousin Vinnie who runs a bail bonds company. I'm a bail enforcement agent, aka bounty hunter. I'm usually low on money, seeing as I'm not very good at my job, which is quite obvious to anyone who has ever seen my apartment, which is filled with mismatched furniture, mediocre appliances, and the color of paint that was on sale at the store recently. I drive a variety of different cars because they get blown up so often, which is exactly what has just happened.

I was chasing a skip down an alley behind his house after he ran away when I presented myself at his front door. I was out of shape and couldn't keep up, so I lost sight of him quickly. Disgruntled, I walked back to my car to search for him. His name was Alex Corolo, arrested for building bombs in his garage. He was caught when he accidentally set one off and blew the entire garage apart. He wasn't in it but he did get sent to jail. Instead of wasting away in the county penitentiary he posted bond with Vincent Plum Bail Bonds then took off and missed his court date; which is where I come in. I have to bring him back into the system and then I get 10 percent of the bond as a finder's fee. Anyways, when I got back to my car, I got in and started the engine. I didn't find out until it was too late that he had planted a bomb on the backseat of my car. Luckily, it was a small bomb that just set the backseat on fire. Never-the-less it could eventually blow up the car, so I got out and took off. I had only gotten 30 feet away when the car exploded, knocking me on my butt and scaring the crap out of me. I was nearly unconscious when I heard the sirens approaching. Moments later I could feel strong people lifting me off of the ground onto a gurney. I could hear a voice talking to me but I couldn't tell who it was or what they were saying. Slowly, I began to become more and more conscious of my surroundings. I could see now that it was Joe talking to me with Ranger looking over his shoulder.

"Steph? Steph, can you hear me? C'mon Steph, please, answer me," he begged. Concern was clear in his eyes. It was also in Ranger's but it wasn't nearly as clear.

"Where the hell is Alex Corolo?" I asked. This got chuckles from Joe and a slight grin from Ranger. "We got him Steph. He's in a cop car, waiting for you," Ranger told me.

I sat up slowly and carefully so as to avoid losing consciousness. My head was spinning and the entire back of my body burned horribly. Joe reached for my elbow to try to help me up but I shrunk away in pain. "It hurts. I will have to manage on my own, Joe," I told him. I was in horrible pain by just sitting but I was afraid that I would lose consciousness if I tried to stand.

"Jesus Christ Stephanie, why the hell do you do this to yourself? Don't you understand the danger that you keep putting yourself in? The worry that you keep making me feel? C'mon Steph why can't you see all that?" he asked me in a pleading tone of voice. "I have told you before, Joe, that I don't want a lifestyle that will give me safety and stability. I like my lifestyle. I have also told you not to worry about me. I can take care of myself whether you believe it or not," I said. I could see Ranger grinning at me over Joe's shoulder. Joe on the other hand was becoming the angry Italian that I despised. He glared at me as he said, "Of course I have to worry about you Stephanie. And how can you say that you like it that you just barely avoid death once a week, that you lose cars like you lose loose change, that you can't keep track of all the stalkers that you've ever had? Doesn't that bother you at all?" "No, Joe, it doesn't. You need to get that through your thick skull. I am not in the mood to talk to you about this right now. I'm tired and in pain and I just want to go home. Call me when you are ready to accept that I don't want the life that you want me to have," I told him. I was angry and so very tired of the things that he put me through. Why can't he see that, right now, I just want to go home and sleep forever instead of arguing with him over the same stupid things in the middle of the street with everyone watching us?

As I got up to leave, Joe grabbed my wrist and slammed my back against the side of the ambulance, completely forgetting about my burns. I screamed in pain and Joe released me as though scalded. I fell forward onto the ground onto my hands and knees sobbing and crying out in pain. I heard the sickening crunch of bones breaking. Through my tears, I looked up to see Ranger glaring down at Joe with all the hatred in the world. Joe was rolling on the ground clutching his face trying to stem the flow of blood from his nose. Ranger sprinted over to me and raised me slowly so that I was leaning with the front of my body pressed against his chest. We were both on our knees on the ground. I buried my face in his shirt and sobbed while he very gently ran his hands though my hair. He held me until I was all cried out. I leaned back slightly to look into his eyes. Concern was written all over his face as he looked down at me. "Can you walk?" he asked. I nodded.

We stood and walked over to his Turbo. He took off his jacket and rolled it up and then put it at the back of the seat so that I could keep from putting my back on the seat. It was uncomfortable but it minimized the pain. He took me to his apartment on Haywood. Once we were parked, he helped me from the car. We walked slowly to the elevator. Once inside, he stood in a corner at the back and held out his arms. He held me in a hug like position careful not to touch my back, this way I could keep from putting pressure on my burns. On one of the floors, Tank got on. He must have looked at me with questioning on his face because I could feel Ranger shake his head, telling Tank not to speak. Tank got off on another floor and Ranger and I rode alone to the seventh floor apartment.

We went inside and Ranger laid me on his bed on my stomach. He then left the room. Soon, he returned with first aid equipment so that he could treat my burns. No words were spoken while he treated me. Once he was finished with my treatment he left to return the first aid equipment to its rightful place and returned with some painkillers for me. After I had taken them and finished off the water bottle I thanked him. He nodded and I laid my head back down and fell into a deep sleep.

A/N: Suggestions are welcome. Flames are not. If you really hate it that much, DON'T READ IT, DUH!! Reviews are love.


	2. Gone, When I Need Him Most

Disclaimer- I own nothing.

Chapter 2

When I awoke the next morning, Ranger was lying next to me shirtless and propped on one elbow. He was watching me. I tried to sit up but remembered that I had been burned when I felt pain shoot to my brain. I winced and flopped back down onto my stomach. When I opened my eyes, I found Ranger once again watching me with concern in his eyes once again. That was really getting old.

"Morning," I said. "Good morning sleeping beauty. You must have been exhausted. You slept like a rock and for quite a while too," he told me. I looked around at the clock: it was 9:30 in the morning. I was surprised to see that Ranger was still in bed this late in the day. I voiced my opinion and he smiled at me, his 200-watt smile. "Anything for you, Babe. You were not feeling so hot so I figured I would stay at least until you woke up so that I could make sure you were okay. How do you feel this morning, Babe?" So, Mr. Man of No words really can speak. "Fine, thank you for asking. Pain, but nothing that a little Advil or Tylenol can't fix," I said. He smiled at me again. Jeez, he must be really happy this morning. That or he knew I was lying and he thought it was cute that I was still trying to be stoic.

"Babe, I want to talk to you first," he said. "Okay, then talk," I replied. "I want to know what happened yesterday, all the way up until you got in the Turbo yesterday," he said. I told him and I could tell that Joe had really ticked him off. His hands were clenched at his sides and his jaw was tight as were his muscles. I would really hate to be Joe right now. "Babe, I would prefer that you stay away from Joe for a while. I don't want him to hurt you and I'm afraid that his control might break," he said.

I was shocked. I knew Joe and I knew he would never hurt me, that he would always have control over himself. I told Ranger this. He shook his head. "I knew that you would say that but I disagree. I also know that ordering you to stay away from him won't work either so I won't waste my time. Just remember what I said and please be careful, Babe. You can stay here until you heal but what you do after that is up to you," he told me. I nodded. "I will remember what you said and I will be careful but I won't stay here while I heal. I can take care of myself, Ranger. I'll take a couple of days off from work but then I will go about business as usual. I would like to take a shower and get ready here and then I want to go home. I appreciate all that you have done for me but I would like to go home soon. Please, Ranger," I said. He was silent for a few moments but then nodded reluctantly. "As long as you promise to call me three times a day to let me know you are all right, more if you want to, and to call me if there is any problem no matter how small. Deal?" he finished. I nodded.

I took me two hours to shower, get bandaged, and dressed. Ranger helped me downstairs but I was able to be more independent than I was the day before. I was thankful I didn't run into anyone on the way downstairs which I was thankful for. Today was not one of my more glamorous ones.

Once we were back at my apartment building, Ranger took me upstairs, checked the apartment and then helped me get settled in the living room. When he was content with everything he gave me a gentle hug and reminded me of his rules. Then he left.

I watched his car pull out of the lot and once I could see that he was really gone, I began to cry. I sobbed and cried like I was trying to cry a river. I cried for the pain, for the anger, the frustration, the helplessness, and the exhaustion. I don't know how long I cried for but I do know that it was a long time. At least after I felt a whole lot better. That is, until I answered a knock on my door to come face to face with Joe Morelli.

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	3. Saved By The Man In Black

Disclaimer- I own nothing.

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Chapter 3

He was livid. I could practically see steam coming out of his ears. I took a step back out of fear. I had never seen him this angry and I didn't want to risk anything. He stepped forward once again closing the distance between us. He turned around and slammed my apartment door closed resulting in what sounded like the doorframe cracking. I turned to run but he caught my wrist like he did yesterday and spun into him so that we were chest to chest.

"I just don't understand _Cupcake_," he said. On the word "cupcake" he grabbed my other wrist. I tried to twist and fight to get away from him but he was so much stronger than I was. "I don't understand how you always chose Manoso instead of me. I want what's best for you, I want you to be protected and safe, I want to make you happy, but you still choose to be with Manoso, who supports your dangerous behavior, and life threatening job. I just don't get it," he said. His voice was low and menacing and his grip on my wrists had been growing tighter and tighter the entire time he was talking. "Joe, your hurting me. Please let go of my wrists," I said. I was struggling to keep my voice steady and even despite the fact that I was terrified. Then, I heard the _click _of the safety being released on a gun. I had been so focused on Joe that I hadn't noticed that Ranger had entered behind Joe and put a gun to the back of his head. "Let her go, Morelli. Hurting her will get you nowhere, except dead," Ranger said. Slowly Joe closed his eyes, took a deep breath and released me. As soon as his grip relaxed, I ran into my bathroom and locked the door behind me. I heard shouting in the kitchen but I could no longer understand what they were saying. I was too shaken to register the fact that the door had slammed and that someone was trying to get into the bathroom. I could only hope that it was Ranger and not Joe.

I was lucky and it was Ranger. I didn't let him in; he just used his super powers to open the door. He rushed over to me and kneeled before me so that we were eye to eye. I was shaking and trying to hold back tears. He noticed and gathered me in his arms, careful not to come into contact with my burns. He pulled me against him and stroked my hair telling me to let it out and speaking comforting words to me in both Spanish and English. I did as he said and cried once more shaking and clutching his shirt as though it were my last lifeline.

We stayed like that for a long time until I calmed down enough to be able to stand and speak. When I was under control I leaned back and released his shirt looking up at him with an apologetic and thankful look in my eyes. His eyes were, once again, filled with concern for me and anger at Joe for causing me this pain.

"Can you walk?" he asked. I nodded. He stood and then helped me up and we walked together into the kitchen. He set me in one of my dining room chairs and then got up and set to make coffee for us. We were both silent, but I knew that he would want to know what happened before he had arrived. When he sat back down he looked at me with a questioning gaze.

I told him what had happened, all the while struggling to keep my voice steady. I wasn't sure why I was so scared. I had been in danger many times before, so this time should not have been any different. But it was quite different. I had seen Joe as someone who could be trusted for so long that it scared me to find out that he couldn't be. I hadn't realized how much stronger Joe was than I. I now knew how much of a threat he could pose to me if he chose to and it perturbed me. I also realized what might have happened if Ranger hadn't shown up. This made me think.

When I was finished I spoke hesitantly. The anger was evident in his features and I was afraid to anger him further. I did not want a repeat of what had happened with Joe. "Ranger?" I said. "Babe?" he replied. "How did you know to come when you did?" I asked. He hesitated as though thinking and then said, "I didn't. You hadn't called me in a while to let me know that you were okay, so I came over to investigate. I walked in when you told him that he was hurting you." I nodded. "Thank you, Ranger. I don't know what might have happened if you hadn't walked in," I told him. He grinned. "Not a problem, Babe," he said.

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Reviews are love. They make me happy. Happiness makes me write more. You can figure out the rest. 


	4. Too Much Pride

Disclaimer- I own nothing.

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Chapter 4

Ranger and I sat in the kitchen silently drinking our coffee for around half an hour. Ranger was the one that finally broke the silence. If you don't think that that was a strange sentence, you need to read it again.

"So, what do you want to do tonight, Babe? Would you rather stay here or come to my place or anywhere else for that matter? Or, would you prefer to stay here? I would rather that don't do that but it's up to you," he asked me.

I hesitated. I didn't really want to stay here but I didn't want to go anywhere else either. I didn't want to let Joe know that he had gotten to me. I just have too much pride I suppose.

"I'll stay here tonight. I don't think that he will come back tonight. Don't worry about me Ranger, I'll be fine. Now I know what to expect and I can probably protect myself if a problem arises," I replied.

"Maybe I should stay here tonight, Babe, so that I can be nearby in case you need me-" he began. I cut him off. "No, I told you, I can take care of myself. I'll call you if there is a problem, alright? Please, Ranger. I can do this. I need to do this," I told him. He waited a moment before responding. "Alright then. If something happens, I'll kill that son of a . Call me if you need anything, at any hour," then he grabbed my hand and held it between his, "promise me that you will." "You have my word," I said as I held his hands in mine and looked into his eyes. We stood and he embraced me as though he never wanted to let go. We stood me in his arms for about 10 minutes before he released me and walked out the door without another word. I locked the door behind him and leaned my forehead against the door for a moment. Then I, too, walked away from the door.

I cleaned up our coffee mugs and the coffee pot before heading into the bathroom. I took a long, boiling hot, shower, dressed in a T-shirt and boxers and flopped down into my bed.

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	5. No One Around To Help

Disclaimer- I own nothing.

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Chapter 5

I awoke with a start in the middle of the night with the feeling that I was not alone in the apartment. I could hear heavy, unbalanced, footsteps in the hall and knew that it was not Ranger. Ranger was like the wind. He wouldn't be heard unless he really wanted to be.

With a feeling of dread, I realized that my bag of bounty hunter paraphernalia was in the kitchen. I was filled with even more dread when I realized that Joe Morelli had walked into my doorway.

He was obviously drunk. His hair was messy and uncombed (not the sexy way either). He swayed on his feet he smelled strongly of alcohol.

"Well, look at what I've found!" he said. His speech was slurred. "If it isn't Stephanie Plum, the that has ruined my life for good. How are you Stephanie Plum?" he said. "Joe, I think that you need to go home now. You're drunk and you may end up doing something that you will regret later," I told him. My voice was much higher than usual and it was shaky but I don't think that he noticed. "Now, now Steph, don't be afraid… actually, be very afraid. You screwed me over you little and now you have to pay the price," he told me.

The entire time that he had been talking, I was backing away trying to keep him from getting to near me. He was scaring me. He was a Morelli man and the Morelli men were known for being mean drunks. He wasn't happy with me right then and while he was drunk, I would rather not try to calm him down.

He crossed the room quickly and backhanded me so quickly that I had no time to react. I fell off the side of the bed and he pulled me back to my knees by my hair causing me to cry out.

He kicked me repeatedly in the ribs. I tried to get away but he was much too strong and I knew that I had no chance. I had left my phone in the kitchen with my pocket book, and now I was paying the price. With every hit and every kick, I slowly began to realize that I would not get away from him and the pain. By the time he began to remove my clothes I was in so much pain that I didn't fight him. I was trapped, and this time, no one was around to help me out of it.

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Replys to Reviews-

Cricket527- Thanks so much for the advice. I wrote several chapters already and i will post those even though they have mistakes but i will fix the ones that i write from here on. Also, Ranger treated her burns because they werent that severe anyway and after the issue with Joe, the EMS guys new that while they coul only treat her physical injurys, Ranger could treat both her emotional and physical injuries.

Wanttowrite- When she took a shower she made sure that her back was out of reach of the water, her burns weren't that bad anyways.

Nuiki- I feel the same way about men who abuse women. They all need to switch places with the women they abuse to see how they like that kind of treatment.

She'sGotHighHopes- I love stories where there is the strong and stoic character that breaks down under pressure and then saved by those close to them. For other question see reply to Cricket 527.

FSD- I noticed after rereading the series that Joe has a horrible temper and that he has gotten very close to losing it with Stephanie.

Stephannie11014- Chapter three is posted below for you.

Reviews are love.

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Chapter 3

He was livid. I could practically see steam coming out of his ears. I took a step back out of fear. I had never seen him this angry and I didn't want to risk anything. He stepped forward once again closing the distance between us. He turned around and slammed my apartment door closed resulting in what sounded like the doorframe cracking. I turned to run but he caught my wrist like he did yesterday and spun into him so that we were chest to chest.

"I just don't understand _Cupcake_," he said. On the word "cupcake" he grabbed my other wrist. I tried to twist and fight to get away from him but he was so much stronger than I was. "I don't understand how you always chose Manoso instead of me. I want what's best for you, I want you to be protected and safe, I want to make you happy, but you still choose to be with Manoso, who supports your dangerous behavior, and life threatening job. I just don't get it," he said. His voice was low and menacing and his grip on my wrists had been growing tighter and tighter the entire time he was talking. "Joe, your hurting me. Please let go of my wrists," I said. I was struggling to keep my voice steady and even despite the fact that I was terrified. Then, I heard the _click _of the safety being released on a gun. I had been so focused on Joe that I hadn't noticed that Ranger had entered behind Joe and put a gun to the back of his head. "Let her go, Morelli. Hurting her will get you nowhere, except dead," Ranger said. Slowly Joe closed his eyes, took a deep breath and released me. As soon as his grip relaxed, I ran into my bathroom and locked the door behind me. I heard shouting in the kitchen but I could no longer understand what they were saying. I was too shaken to register the fact that the door had slammed and that someone was trying to get into the bathroom. I could only hope that it was Ranger and not Joe.

I was lucky and it was Ranger. I didn't let him in; he just used his super powers to open the door. He rushed over to me and kneeled before me so that we were eye to eye. I was shaking and trying to hold back tears. He noticed and gathered me in his arms, careful not to come into contact with my burns. He pulled me against him and stroked my hair telling me to let it out and speaking comforting words to me in both Spanish and English. I did as he said and cried once more shaking and clutching his shirt as though it were my last lifeline.

We stayed like that for a long time until I calmed down enough to be able to stand and speak. When I was under control I leaned back and released his shirt looking up at him with an apologetic and thankful look in my eyes. His eyes were, once again, filled with concern for me and anger at Joe for causing me this pain.

"Can you walk?" he asked. I nodded. He stood and then helped me up and we walked together into the kitchen. He set me in one of my dining room chairs and then got up and set to make coffee for us. We were both silent, but I knew that he would want to know what happened before he had arrived. When he sat back down he looked at me with a questioning gaze.

I told him what had happened, all the while struggling to keep my voice steady. I wasn't sure why I was so scared. I had been in danger many times before, so this time should not have been any different. But it was quite different. I had seen Joe as someone who could be trusted for so long that it scared me to find out that he couldn't be. I hadn't realized how much stronger Joe was than I. I now knew how much of a threat he could pose to me if he chose to and it perturbed me. I also realized what might have happened if Ranger hadn't shown up. This made me think.

When I was finished I spoke hesitantly. The anger was evident in his features and I was afraid to anger him further. I did not want a repeat of what had happened with Joe. "Ranger?" I said. "Babe?" he replied. "How did you know to come when you did?" I asked. He hesitated as though thinking and then said, "I didn't. You hadn't called me in a while to let me know that you were okay, so I came over to investigate. I walked in when you told him that he was hurting you." I nodded. "Thank you, Ranger. I don't know what might have happened if you hadn't walked in," I told him. He grinned. "Not a problem, Babe," he said.


	6. The Morning After From Hell

Disclaimer- I own nothing.

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Chapter 6

Sometime during Joe's assault on me, I fell unconscious. When I woke up I was naked and in pain like I had never felt before. Joe was also naked and he was asleep from the alcohol and from the night's activities. I immediately decided to take advantage of this and jumped out of bed despite the fact that my whole body was protesting any movement at all.

I threw on a black turtle neck, black jeans, my CAT boots, and tried to cover my cuts and bruises with makeup and my SEALS cap. I was out the door in 10 minutes or less and I rushed down the stairs with my pocketbook filled with bounty hunter paraphernalia. I had my gun loaded in my hand. If Joe came chasing after me, I would not hesitate to shoot him.

I sprinted to my car (which was big blue now that my car had been blown to smithereens by Alex Corolo. I jumped in the driver's seat, ignoring the pain all over my body, and threw my pocketbook and gun onto the seat next to me. In half a second, the car was in gear and out o the parking lot. I didn't slow down until I had reached the McDonalds. I ordered a biggie fry and large Coke and paid no mind to the funny looks that I was receiving from the boy who gave me the bag.

By the time I got to the Bond's office, I was finished with the fries and Coke. I spent 5 minutes fixing the huge amount of makeup coating my face and then stepped into the office fighting the urge to limp and cry.

When I walked in, Lula and Connie looked up at me. They seemed surprised to see me. I didn't know why. I decided to act like I didn't notice and get out of there as soon as possible.

"Hey guys! Connie, got any FTA's for me?" I said. That's me, Little Miss Cheerful. "Sure, Steph. Here you go," she said holding out 4 file folders. "Thanks Connie. Lula, I don't think that I'll need any help today," I said after looking through the files. "You sure girl? I could just be some back-up just in case," she said. "Yeah, I should be okay. I don't think any of these look all that difficult. I'll see you guys later," I said as I was walking out. I didn't want to risk the girls figuring out that something was wrong and calling Joe or Ranger.

I got back into my car and drove away to Pino's. I knew that Pino's would be filled with cops and that Joe wouldn't try anything with a whole bunch of cops sitting around.

When I got there, I ordered a coffee but no food. I had no appetite and I was so nervous that I wasn't sure that I could hold down my food.

I was extremely surprised when I saw Ranger walk in and walk immediately over to me. He didn't even have to look for me. This led me to believe that he had been following me and watching me. That or he was a super hero. I believe that it was the latter.

He came over to me and sat down opposite from me. "Why didn't you call me this morning to let me know that you were alright?" he asked. Oops. "I forgot to call Ranger, I'm sorry," I said. I really was. I knew that Ranger was worried about me even though I told him not to be.

"It's ok. I know that you won't make the same mistake twice; not on purpose at least," he said. I nodded. The real reason that I hadn't called was that I was so worked up about Morelli that I had completely forgotten about calling Ranger, but I wasn't about to tell him that.

The waitress came over and asked for Ranger's order. He ordered coffee also. Shortly, the waitress returned with Ranger's coffee, swinging her hips from side to side. She had obviously noticed Ranger's sexy aura and was trying to make herself noticed. Ranger completely ignored her attempt and thanked her without looking at her. She had a sour look on her face and walked away without the spring in her step or the sway in her hips.

We both silently drank our coffee just looking at each other. We finally looked away when a hush went over the restaurant and we both looked towards the door to see Joe Morelli walking in.

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Thanks to all my reviewers. You guys make the time spent on this story worthwhile!!


	7. Flashbacks

Disclaimer- I own nothing.

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Chapter 7

When I saw Morelli, all I could think about was last night's events. I didn't know why he was here. It was only 9:00 in the morning and normally he would be at work at this time. This was exactly why I came here. I was trying to procrastinate returning to my apartment. I didn't want to return there and find Joe sitting there waiting for me.

It seemed that everyone had heard about the incident a couple days ago because everyone in the restaurant was glaring at him. This included Ranger who was glaring at him with all the hatred in the world. Ranger hadn't forgotten about anything, and I was almost feeling sorry for what might happen to Joe.

Almost, but not quite.

When Joe entered the room my hands began to shake and I broke out in a cold sweat. I thought that I might faint and I was trying as hard as I could to stay conscious. I was remembering the night before and I was terrified. I could almost feel all the pain as he continuously kicked, punched, and slapped me. I could smell his breath stained with alcohol.

Ranger noticed my alarm and reached out to grab my hand, but I pulled it away. It was a reflex gained by fear, and I didn't want Joe to see it and get angry at me. I wasn't sure of the reaction that I saw flash through Ranger's eyes but I would explain later. Now, my attention was back on Joe.

He saw me and his lips tightened. He began to walk towards us and I tensed. Ranger stood so that he was in front of me and motioned for me to stand up. He kept his eyes on Joe as he blocked him from getting to me and told me to go outside to his car. I got up quickly and almost sprinted to the car. He was on my heels.

He unlocked the doors and I wrenched open the door and slid in. He shut the door behind me and calmly walked around the front of the car and got in the driver's side door.

We drove in silence all the way to his Haywood apartment. When we had parked we got out and walked to the elevator in silence. This was the case as we rode the elevator to the 7th floor apartment and waked in.

"Take a seat in the living room Steph. I'll be in there in a second," he told me. I nodded and obliged. He walked away and came back about 5 minutes later. "I want to see your burns. I want to see how they're healing," he said. I knew that there was no way that he could look at them without seeing the marks that Joe left on me the night before.

"No, it's okay. They're healing fine," I replied.

He shook his head and said, "Babe, if you're worried about me seeing you naked, then you shouldn't worry. I've seen you naked plenty of times and one more time won't hurt."

I shook my head again. "That's not it. I told you, I'm fine. You don't need to look at it, I already have," I said. He sighed (or as much as Ranger ever sighs). I stood up to go. "I'm going home, and please don't follow me Ranger. I'm fine, really!" I said.

As I turned to leave, he grabbed my wrist and spun me back around to face him. I gasped in pain. Last night, Joe had kept a firm grip on my wrists the whole time to keep me from escaping. This left my wrists bruised and possibly broken. Ranger didn't realize that my gasp was in pain. He didn't release me, instead he held even tighter. When I tried to get away he tightened his hold even more.

I began to panic. This was a replay of last night. I felt trapped and helpless. In the back of my head I was telling myself that this was Ranger, not Joe and that Ranger would never hurt me. The other part of my brain was telling me that that was the same thing that I would tell myself about Joe.

I started to fight against his hold even harder and I could tell that I was becoming hysterical. Ranger must have noticed too because he released me. I ran away as fast as I could to the elevator without looking at Ranger.

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Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome and encouraged. Thanks to all of those people who have reviewed. It makes me really want to continue this story so keep 'em comin'!!!! 


	8. Criminal Minds

Disclaimer- I own nothing. Zip. Nada.

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Chapter 8

Once I was inside the elevator, I was able to pull myself together before pushing the button to descend. By the time the elevator stopped at the sixth floor, the only evidence that I was even slightly upset was a thin film of tears covering my eyes. I didn't think that any of the Merry Men would be able to notice that, so I figured that my problems were solved. Right? Wrong.

When the elevator stopped, Lester stepped in. He looked me over before pressing the button to hold the elevator. "Steph, what's wrong, Hun? You look upset. What happened?" he said.

I gave him a watery smile hoping to conceal the fact that it was watery. "Nothing's wrong Lester. I'm fine, I promise," I replied.

He gave me a misbelieving look. I wasn't a horrible liar; it was just that these guys saw right through me. Sucks to be me, I know.

He grabbed my hands and held them between his own. "I know you're lying," he said, "but I know that by yelling at you, I will only make matters worse. Just remember that we are all here for you if you need anything, Steph, and that you can come to me, or any of us, for help at any time," he told me.

I smiled a genuine smile and nodded. These guys were so great. They knew when they should or shouldn't ask questions and they were always there to help no matter what the cost to themselves may be.

The elevator stopped at the fourth floor to let Lester off. He took a second to look at me quizzically before exiting the elevator and walking down the hallway.

I watched the doors close behind him and kept staring straight ahead as I felt the elevator start downward once more. I had just realized that what had happened last night shouldn't have happened. Ranger would not have left me in the apartment without making sure that I was guarded against another attack from Joe. How could he have gotten past Ranger's men?

Then I realized that Joe may have never left my apartment building at all. But, he was drunk when he came into the apartment in the middle of the night. He must have left because he would have to go to a bar if he wanted a drink.

I was bothered by the fact that I couldn't figure out how Joe had managed to get past the Merry Men and/or their surveillance equipment. I was assuming that he had stationed some of his men in the area because time would not allow him to install surveillance equipment. How could Joe manage to slip past a Merry Man?

Then, I realized that the lights in the lobby and outside the front and back doors are turned off at 12:00 a.m. every morning. They don't get turned back on until the next night at sunset. If Joe created a diversion that would attract attention away from the doors, he could easily slip onto the fire escape or into the lobby. He was drunk, so he couldn't have used the fire escape, it would have made too much noise. Anyone but me could break into the lobby. The building isn't the most secure building so it wouldn't be difficult for someone to unlock the door. Joe must have had a partner or assistant because he could never open the door if he was drunk. But who would want to assist Joe in harming me?

I guess I should start making the list now.

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	9. A Past Renewed

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Chapter 9

Those were the thoughts running through my mind the entire time I was riding the elevator. I would've kept thinking about it if I hadn't been presented with a more pressing problem. Ranger was standing with his arms and ankles crossed, leaning against the Turbo.

I was dumbfounded. I had left him upstairs! How did he get down here before I did?!

He chuckled and grinned at me. "I used the stairs Babe," he said.

I glared at him. He had no right to intrude my mind. Okay, so I knew that he didn't have ESP. I was just mad that I wouldn't be able to get out of the building. So sue me!

Ranger walked up to me, the grin gone as though it had never existed. He was serious now.

"What happened to you Babe? You're not acting like the Babe that I know. What's wrong?" he asked me.

I could feel myself breaking down and I started to get mad. I really didn't want to cry in front of Ranger. If I cried, he would know that I was lying and that something really was wrong. I couldn't let him find out about what happened. I didn't want him to see me as weak or incompetent.

He continued to watch me with patience, knowing that I would eventually tell him what was wrong.

"Nothing is wrong, Ranger," I replied, "except that you won't let me leave and I can't stay. Please just let me go. Please, Ranger."

By the time I had finished speaking, my eyes had betrayed me and tears were streaming down my face.

Ranger stepped forward and held me in his arms as I cried into his chest. He was murmuring to me in Spanish. I did not understand a word of it, but I was soothed all the same.

When I was calmed down enough, I took a slight step back and looked up at him. He didn't say a word, just put his arm at the small of my back gently, so that he wouldn't disturb my burns, and led me to the elevator.

We went up in silence and exited the elevator in silence as well. He unlocked the door and then stood back to allow me to enter through first. I entered and then stood in the kitchen facing him, waiting for him to end the silence.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, we were interrupted by a knock on the door. Ranger walked away to answer it.

It was Tank. "Boss, this was dropped on our doorstep for Steph," he said.

He drew his gaze to me before looking at Ranger. Ranger took the package from him without a word. Tank must have realized that he was being dismissed, because he walked out the door without another word.

It was a plain manila envelope. It had no return address on it. That was not a good thing. No one outside of the building knew that I was here and I hadn't had any stalkers lately. Joe would not have been that stupid. I had no idea who this could be from, and not knowing was scarier to me than facing reality.

Ranger opened the envelope and pulled out a picture. I almost fainted when I saw what it was a picture of. The entire page was filled with the image of pair of eyes. The eyes were cold and empty and you could see a tint of insanity in them. These were the eyes that haunted my nightmares and sent me running to the bathroom with the threat of throwing up.

These were the eyes of Benito Ramirez.

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	10. Screams

I own nothing. Zip. Nada.

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Chapter 10

As soon as I saw the picture I gasped in horror. This was just too much to handle in one day. I had watched Ramirez die on my fire escape by the hands of Allen Shempsky with my own Smith and Wesson .38. At the thought of his coming back to life, I began to get hysterical.

Ranger had been watching me as first recognition, and then horror flashed through my eyes. After a moment he flipped the picture over quickly and set it on the counter behind him. He then pulled me to him and picked me up. He carried me bridal style over to the couch and sat down with me in his lap. He held me tightly stroking my hair as I cried. He never asked me what was wrong. He knew that once I had calmed down I would become hysterical and then enter denial. After the denial stage he could get me to talk calmly and that was what he wanted.

While Ranger was holding me I kept getting flashbacks of the times when I had encountered Ramirez and had fallen prey to his torturous acts. He was criminally insane and he got great joy out of watching his victims squirm in fear before following through on his threats. Ramirez was a boxer and a criminal. He raped and murdered women for entertainment and had scared the crap out of me. If he was back, I was returning to hell; something that I had no desire to do.

After a while my hysterical sobbing had become small whimpers and hiccups. I sat back and looked up at Ranger. He had his blank face on and I couldn't read his emotions. His tight black shirt was soaked with my tears. I slid off of his lap and wiped my eyes, embarrassed at my break-down. He had seen me cry before, but I didn't have to like it.

I continued to look at him until I was sure that I would be able to speak with a strong voice again.

"Those eyes belong to Benito Ramirez, the boxer who died on my fire escape. I was sure that he was dead, I watched as they took the body bag out of my apartment. He can't be back, Ranger, he can't. I can't live with the fear that I went through when he was alive. I feel sort of guilty that I was glad that he was dead but I was so tired of living in fear. What can I do Ranger?" I asked him in one breath. I was losing it again and I could feel prickling behind my eyeballs. I waited for a moment so that I could get myself under control. Once I had succeeded, I ask Ranger what else was in the envelope.

He picked it up off the counter and dumped the contents out. Inside were a typed note and a DVD. I walked over to stand behind him so that I could read the note over his shoulder. It read:

Hope you like the picture and the DVD.

It wasn't addressed or signed. There was nothing odd about the letter in any way. I picked up the picture again and looked for anything odd about it. After closer inspection I had found nothing interesting. It was a plain black background with only the eyes. They weren't eyeballs that were not attached to the persons head just a picture of the gaze.

The intentions of the picture and letter were obvious. This person clearly knew of my fear of Ramirez and was using it against me. The DVD was still lying on the counter. I was afraid of what it might contain, but I was NOT going to let some nutcase scare me. So I picked up the DVD and put it in the DVD player. Ranger and I sat on the couch with me in his lap.

When the DVD started playing the screen was black. After a couple of seconds the screen was still blank but my grip tightened on Ranger.

A woman in the background had started screaming. Ranger's grip on me tightened alson when he realized that it was my voice screaming.

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	11. Revealing The Truth

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Chapter 11

I refuse to cry. I have cried myself out today and I will not let fear cloud my judgment. The faster I figure out what is going on the faster I can have a break down. I've been burned, injured, abused, publicly humiliated, and terrified in the last 24 hours. Watch out Trenton, Stephanie Plum is pissed!!!

Ranger and I continued to listen until it was over just to make sure that there was nothing at the end of the tape. There wasn't.

I slid off of Rangers lap and sat facing him on the sofa. He was watching me with anger clear in his expression. I closed my eyes and slowly counted to ten to help clear my head. When I opened my eyes I took two deep breaths and watched Ranger.

He was really mad. He wasn't bothering with self control. He got up, walked into the kitchen, grabbed a plate, and threw it at the wall as hard as he could. I wasn't scared of Ranger but I had never seen him lose control like that. It reminded me of what happened with Joe.

I told myself to relax, that this was just Ranger. I closed my eyes again and shrank into the couch more so that I could relax. When I opened my eyes, Ranger was crouched in front of me, concern in his eyes.

"Babe, I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean to. Okay?" he asked. I nodded.

I didn't want to live in fear of this guy. I needed to figure out what was going on. I knew that I needed to tell Ranger what had happened last night even though I didn't want to. I had a feeling that this was somehow connected with it.

"I need to tell you what happened last night Ranger. I don't want to be interrupted though. I don't want to tell you in the first place so make it easier on me and just listen. Okay?" I asked. He nodded.

I told him everything. From the time he left the apartment to the time I met up with him that morning at Pino's he knew exactly what had happened. He was angry, I knew, but he had his blank face on and I only knew that he was angry because I wasn't stupid. I told him about my assumption that someone was helping him and that I thought that the package was linked to it.

He nodded and stood up from in front of me. I had been calm the whole time but at the end I was struggling to hold it together. He noticed me and pulled me to him gently. I buried my face into his chest and he held me. I never cried. I wouldn't let myself, now was not the time.

I pulled away eventually and looked up at him. He let me go and then pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number and had a quick conversation where he summoned someone up here.

A couple minutes later Tank, Bobby, and Lester were standing in the living room. Ranger said, "We have a situation here boys. Steph has another crazy and he seems to be a member of the Ramirez family. Tank, I need you to check to see if Benito had any siblings and where they live. Lester, arrange a meeting with Joe Morelli. Get him here within the next hour in my office. Get him here in any way possible without killing him. That's my job. Bobby, stay here. We need to talk." All three men hastened to do as they were told.

When Tank and Lester had left Ranger began again, "Bobby, you were on surveillance last night at Steph's apartment. Was there anything at all that was out of the ordinary? Even the slightest thing could be very important here."

Bobby was obviously thinking. Then he spoke, "At about 2 a.m. someone threw a smoke bomb under my car. I figured that it was just some kids playing a prank because it was a really cheap one and didn't think anything of it. When I checked the equipment to see if anyone had picked her lock the results were negative."

Then I spoke up, "He had a key. I left my keys on the counter last night and when you kicked him out yesterday, Ranger, he must have picked up my spare. Sound doesn't carry through the apartment so Bobby couldn't have heard us."

When I began speaking, both men stared at me as though they had forgotten that I was there. Hell, maybe they had.

Just as I finished speaking, Ranger's cell phone rang. He had a quick conversation and then turned to me. "That was Tank," he said, "Benito had a brother, Siriano. He was locked up here in Trenton but escaped a week ago. He was arrested for destruction of property primarily. He completely destroyed a bar when he found out that his brother had died. They were twins and they shared looks and personality of lack thereof. He vowed to get whoever killed him if it was the last thing he did. Tank also said that they have Morelli in my office now and they are just waiting for us. You don't have to go if you don't want to Babe but it might be better if you did."

I hesitated. I didn't want to see Joe but I knew that he may not talk to Ranger or his men. I was pretty sure that is was Siriano who had sent me the package and I wanted to find him. Fast. If Joe was my only way of doing so, than so be it.

"I'll go down Ranger," I told him, "but I get to be the only one who talks to him. He may not talk to you guys and we need all the help we can get."

He smiled at me, proud of my bravery but concerned about my fearlessness.

I understood what his smile meant and said, "I am scared Ranger. But I know that you will be watching the security cameras in the control room and that you won't let anything happen to me."

He smiled at me again and pulled me to him holding me as though I were his last life line. I was trying to soak up all the courage I could get from him, knowing that I would need it for what I was about to do.

Eventually I let go and took a step back looking up at him. Then he said, "Go get 'em Tiger."

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	12. The Confrontation

Disclaimer- I own nothing. Zip. Nada.

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Chapter 12

Ranger, Bobby and I boarded the elevator and headed to the sixth floor and Ranger's office. As soon as we were in the elevator, I grasped Ranger's hand in mine and held on for dear life. He smiled at me with concern and pulled me to him, and held me in a hug where I felt safe from everything. Bobby smiled at me also. Ranger held me until the elevator stopped but didn't let go of my hand as he led us to his office.

"Babe, I'm going to go in first and talk to Morelli and my men and then when I leave, I will let you go in. the whole time, we will be watching and listening in the control room. Try to get him to talk about what happened as much as you can. If something happens Hal and Cal will come in and help you out." Then he leaned forward and whispered in my ear, "Are you sure that you'll be okay in there by yourself? He didn't want to come in probably out of fear. We made him come in. i'm afraid of how he might act to you." I nodded and smiled.

He turned around to enter the room but before he could I grabbed his wrist and spun him around again. "I love you Carlos," I said.

He grinned, a big goofy grin before saying, "I love you too, Babe," and pulling me into a passionate kiss.

It was the first time that a kiss from Ranger had made me feel loved instead of horny. I liked it. I liked it a lot. It was short but sweet and there was nothing sexual about it.

We pulled apart slowly and I smiled at him showing him that I meant what I said and that I regretted nothing between us. He turned around again and headed for the door. This time I just watched him walk away and allowed myself to think once again about what I would do inside.

After about 5 minutes, Ranger walked out with Tank, Lester and Bobby. Ranger walked up to me, hugged me again and said, "Good luck, Baby. Don't worry; we will be watching the whole time." I nodded and stepped inside.

Joe was sitting at a straight backed wooden chair in front of Ranger's desk. Hector and another Hispanic man were standing behind Joe on either side of him. I assumed that I was supposed to go behind the desk. Joe had not noticed my presence yet and he looked thoroughly pissed off. I was scared, but I was determined not to cry, freak out, scream, or lose my cool at all.

When I finally got behind the desk Joe noticed that I was standing there and his expression changed from anger to concern in an instant. He attempted to stand up, presumably to greet me but the two Merry Men behind him simultaneously placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. Anger and frustration flashed through his eyes again but did not remain. His anger frightened me but I knew that he couldn't do anything with Ranger's men standing there.

I took a deep breath and began, "Morelli."

He nodded. "Cupcake-," he said in a pleading way.

I interrupted him, "Save the bull$!+ Joe. Don't call me 'Cupcake', don't apologize, and don't beg for forgiveness even though you should beg. And you will, but now is not the time. If you really feel bad about last night, you can tell me who helped you out and help us capture him," I said in a demanding and impatient way.

"Please don't be angry with me Steph, I don't know what I was thinking last night. I was drinking, I wasn't thinking straight. You're not going to hold a grudge about this are you?" he asked.

I looked at him as though he had grown a third head. "Not be mad at you? Not hold a grudge? Forgive you? Morelli, you raped and abused me!!! You made me feel ashamed and weak and stupid!!! I will forgive you eventually Morelli. But today is not that day. Now is NOT the time to make me feel sorry for you. If you want my forgiveness you need to earn it; and you can start by telling me what happened after you left yesterday afternoon. I need all the details. If you hold back on me you can forget about me forgiving you, ever," I told him. At the beginning I had been whispering and laughing under my breath, but by the end, I was screaming, my face contorted with rage, spitting my words at him, and looking at him as though he were dog crap on the bottom of my shoe.

After I was finished ranting it seemed as though we were the only ones in the room, me standing behind the desk glaring and taking deep breaths, trying to calm myself down, and Morelli sitting there looking down at his hands folded in his lap.

Suddenly, Joe leaped out of his chair towards me, catching Hector and the other man off guard, me as well. He sprang across the desk, and pinned me to the wall behind it by my neck. I was hanging about a foot off of the ground trying to pull his hands away from my neck. Flashbacks of the night before were flashing through my mind making me sick. I began to hyperventilate and I was screaming for Ranger, afraid of what would happen next.

Joe then leaned forward and whispered in my ear, "Go to Hell you little whore."

It had felt like an eternity when in reality it had only been a couple seconds before Joe was pulled off of me and I fell to the floor and everything went black.

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	13. My Very Own Batman

Disclaimer- I own nothing. Zip. Nada.

Sorry about the delay. This chapter took forever. I couldn't figure where to stop and I was grounded this weekend. But, here it is now, so enjoy!!

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Chapter 13

When I came to strong, hard arms were wrapped around me. A voice was whispering Spanish in my ear. I lashed out and ran in an ct of blind panic. The door was blocked and I panicked even more. I ran to a corner and sat down shrinking down to the ground as close as I could. I sat there in silence breathing hard, confused as to where I was and who else was in here with me. Once I was calmed down slightly I looked up to see where I was.

My memories came rushing back at me. I was in Ranger's office. I had passed out after Joe had attacked me. It was Ranger that had been holding me. Tank was blocking the door. He was still standing there watching me with his blank face. Ranger was crouched in front of me watching me also. He reached out towards me and I shrank away again.

I'm a pretty emotionally strong person. I can deal with more than most people. This morning I had been fine. I was afraid of Joe but that was about it. But now, after finding out about Siriano and Joe's attack I was very freaked out. This was more than I could handle and now I didn't want to have anyone touch me or get too close.

Ranger took his hand away, stood up and brought his chair to sit in front of me. It wasn't blocking my path and he was far enough away from me that I wasn't panicked. I knew that I could get out if I wanted to and that helped me calm down.

We stayed stationary for a few more minutes before he spoke, "Babe, I'm sure that you don't want to but I think that you should go to the hospital to get checked out. I was planning on getting this interrogation over with first so that we could find this guy as quickly as possible. If you don't want to go to St. Francis or Helen Fuld, we could go to Newark or something. Or you could have Bobby look you over. He's really good at what he does Babe and I think he would be the best choice. He wouldn't tell anyone what happened and he was a great medic in the Force. Your choice."

I thought about it. I really really really didn't want to go to a hospital. I wasn't planning on anyone else finding out about my rape; but I didn't want Bobby to touch me.

"I'll let Bobby look me over as long as he doesn't tell anyone anything. Actually I don't want anyone else to find out about this. Just give me a little while to relax before he does. I don't want to freak out on him. I'm sorry about earlier Ranger. I didn't mean to. I just… I don't know. I'm sorry. Tell everyone that I said I'm sorry," I said. I had whispered this so that Tank couldn't hear me.

He nodded and waited for me to make the next move. I stood and fought the urge to back away from him into the wall. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently and we walked to the door. I stopped in front of Tank still holding tight to Ranger's hand and smiled at him. "I'm sorry about earlier, Tank, and I wanted to thank you for helping out while I was in here with Joe," I said to him.

"It's no problem Steph," he said smiling back at me.

Ranger tugged on my arm gently and led me to the elevator. We rode up to the seventh floor together in silence with our hands still together. I wanted to be near him because he made me feel safe but I was still kind of scared so I distanced us slightly to help with my nerves. We stepped off of the elevator on the seventh floor and we walked inside together.

Once we were in the kitchen, Ranger turned to me and said, "Babe, I need to you change into something that is going to show as much skin as possible. Bobby will need to see all of the skin that he can so that we can decide just what you need. You have to wash off all of your makeup. Pull your hair up into a ponytail too so that he can get a good look at your neck."

He had said all of this gently and quietly in not a demanding but a pleading tone. Omigod, Batman was pleading!! Call the newspapers!!!

I nodded and went through the bedroom, finding a sports bra and spandex shorts, and entered the bathroom to do as Ranger had asked. I first changed into the sports bra and shorts and then washed my face several times to wipe off the layers of makeup. After I pulled my hair up I walked out of the bathroom never looking in the mirror, afraid of what I might see.

When I stepped into the living room, Bobby and Ranger were talking but stopped immediately when I entered. No doubt about it that they were talking about me. Both of their eyes widened slightly when they raked my body with their eyes. I guess I looked really bad. I didn't know because I had never looked in the mirror. Any true Jersey Girl could apply makeup and style their hair without a mirror. It's a god given talent.

Ranger approached me and I stayed still with some difficulty. He gently put his hand on my upper back and nudged me over to a stool that was placed in the middle of the floor in front of the couch. I sat in the stool and Ranger sat on the couch facing me. I looked up at Bobby waiting for him to speak or give some instruction.

"Steph, I need a time frame. At about what time did Morelli throw the first punch? If I know that, I can better catalogue your injuries and figure out how to best treat them," he asked me cautiously looking anywhere but at me.

"Bobby, look at me," I said. He looked at me surprise obvious on his face. "I'm not a little porcelain doll that will break with the slightest touch. I won't freak out on you if I can help it but don't treat me like I'm going to crack at any second."

He laughed and smiled at me while he nodded.

"I think that Joe came in at about 2:00 a.m. He didn't waste any time," I said. I was proud of myself for keeping my voice strong the whole time.

Bobby nodded and said, "Steph, I will have to touch you in order to get a good look. If something I'm doing bothers you at all let me know and I'll stop. Look at Ranger and concentrate on him or something happy. Okay?"

I nodded and twisted slightly to look Ranger in the eye. He smiled at me and grasped my hands and holds them between his own. I smiled back at him. I could feel Bobby trailing his fingertips on my skin on my back. I shivered involuntarily at his touch and Ranger reached up to cup my cheek in his hand. I leaned into his touch.

Suddenly I had a flashback of screaming his name during Joe's attack and how Joe had hit me and yelled at me every time I had. I remembered watching the door waiting for him to walk through and save my world once again. I remembered my disappointment and fear as each minute passed and my fantasy failed to become a reality.

Without my knowledge or approval my eyes began to tear up as these memories flashed through my mind and I felt once again all the pain, fear, humiliation, disappointment, and anger that I had felt that night. Ranger noticed this and leaned forward so that our foreheads were touching. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the smell of his Bulgari shower gel and the feel of his breath on my face. Here I felt safe and protected from everything. I didn't like the fact that Bobby was touching me but being near Ranger helped. I trusted Ranger with everything that I had and I knew that he would never let anyone hurt me. I was scared, tense, and uncomfortable sitting here with bobby examining me while I had on a very little amount of clothing. But, I knew that if I decided to press charges on Joe, it was necessary to have a medical report. Then a thought hit me.

"Ranger, whatever happened to Joe after I passed out?" I whispered to him.

"Don't worry about it, Babe, I handled it. He may not be able to move for a couple days though. After Tank pulled me away, he wasn't in to great of shape so Hal and Cal cuffed him and brought him to the hospital. After that he is going to come back here and I am locking him in a fourth floor apartment until we are done with him," he said.

I nodded. We stayed like that, forehead-to-forehead, until Bobby needed to look at the backs of my legs. He asked me to lie on my stomach on the floor so that he could also see the sides of me. I was hesitant but did it anyway. I turned my head to the side and Ranger sat so that I could see him and he held my hand. I continued to look him in the eye as Bobby looked and took pictures but never touched. I never noticed the camera but I was guessing that he did the same thing with my back and the back of my neck. He continued this process-eventually covering my entire body. It was about a half hour before Bobby told us that he was finally finished. I was focused on Ranger the whole time; I was tense during the whole thing but I had managed not to freak out.

When I was once again on my feet, Ranger told me to go ahead and get dressed and we would have lunch. I agreed even though I wasn't hungry despite it being almost 1:30. When I came out of the bedroom, Bobby and Ranger were whispering again and they stopped when they saw me as they did before.

"Bye, Steph. You did great today, much better than anyone else would be in your situation. Don't worry about Ramirez. We'll find him soon," Bobby said before holding me in a gentle hug that allowed me to know that he cared about me without him getting too close, and then leaving.

"Babe," Ranger began after he left, "I agree with Bobby. You really are handling this well and I'm very proud of you." He then wrapped me in a tight hug. "I love you, Babe, and I hope that you feel the same," he said.

I looked up at him and kissed him on the mouth as I had done earlier before the meeting with Joe. "I love you too, Carlos. You make me happier than I ever remember being and for that I can't thank you enough for that. You keep my world spinning, Carlos. You make me feel safe whether I really am or not. You really are my very own Batman," I said before holding him tight to me as though if I let go, I would die a horrific death. For the first time in my life, I felt happy, loved, and safe and there really, truly was no other place that I would rather be than in Ranger's arms.

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I thought that this chapter was kind of boring, but the next one should be more about finding Siriano.


	14. The Deal

Disclaimer- I own nothing, zip, nada.

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Chapter 14

When we broke apart we were both grinning like idiots. I took a small step away from him and said, "I have decided, Ranger, that I'm not going to be like so many other women that have been through this and who break down and are never the same again. Breaking down won't help in the search for Siriano. I'm not pressing charges. I'm not keeping it a secret though. The damage to his ego and reputation will be so bad that jail would be a blessing to him. I want to take a shower and then I want to go start on the search for Ramirez; the sooner that he is caught, the better. The only thing that bothers me is how much Joe has changed. I always thought that he wouldn't ever be like his father. I guess that I was wrong." I hung my head, wondering if it was my fault that Joe had changed.

Ranger tipped my chin back up to look at him with concern in his eyes. He was shaking his head slowly, never allowing our eye contact to falter. "It's not your fault, Babe," he said, "Joe is a good guy, but he grew up without ever learning how to deal with stress or anger. He was drunk when he did this to you. My guess is that Siriano found him in a bar last night and that he had figured that Joe would want to get back at you. If Morelli was sober, he wouldn't have agreed to Ramirez's plan, but that wasn't the case. Ramirez probably doesn't care that Joe has been caught. He just wants to drive you crazy, scare you. Don't ever think that you asked for this. He made a mistake and you are not to blame."

I nodded and then Ranger's cell phone rang. He picked it up and had a short conversation with whoever was on the other line. I waited patiently and eagerly, hoping for news of Ramirez.

He finished his conversation and looked back down at me. "That was Tank. He said that he was just listening to the police scanner and a message was sent through about an apartment being firebombed. He didn't have anything more specific, but and apartment getting firebombed is a pretty rare occurrence, except for you. He said that he would go check out your building for you to see if it was yours. I had Lester and Hal pick up some stuff from your apartment earlier so that you could stay here for a while, so most of the stuff that would be destroyed would be stuff that wasn't of great emotional value to you. Rex is in my office along with your other stuff."

I breathed out a sigh of relief. When I heard the part about the apartment, my breath had caught in my throat. I was so scared for Rex that I almost didn't hear the rest. Luckily I was able to hold back my hysteria and managed to catch the end of his explanation. Now I was just hoping that my bathroom would be destroyed completely. Stupid yellow and green bathroom.

Ranger's cell phone rang again and he repeated the process of his actions only a few minutes previously. Once again, he hung up and turned to me, "Tank was right; it was your apartment. It's destroyed, even the bathroom which I'm sure will cheer you up," I grinned and muttered a relieved "Yes!" under my breath. The corners of his mouth tipped up in an almost smile. "Also, he said that you should probably call some people to let them know you're alive."

I nodded at this and thought. I need to call Mary Lou, Connie, Lula, and my mother. My mother first because I wanted to have her hear it from me first (not that that was very likely; the Burg sometimes seemed to know more about me than I did sometimes), then Connie so that I could catch Lula at the same time, then Mary Lou so that she could start spreading the truth around. Guess I better get started.

When I returned to the living room (I had gone to the bedroom to make the calls so that I could speak to them privately) Ranger was gone. He had left a note on the counter to let me know that he was at the gym. He was probably either beating the shit out of either his men or a punching bag. I decided to use that time to contact Tank to see what hadn't already been done to contribute to the search for Siriano so that I could find something useful to do.

Ten minutes later I had a list of family, friends, and neighbor, my cell phone, my .38, and a pad of paper sitting on the breakfast nook. Time to get to work.

About an hour and a half later, I had gone through the entire list of contacts and had gotten nothing. The problem was that everyone was terrified of the Ramirez family and the family itself was not at all keen to give away the location of their son. Great.

I looked up when I heard the sound of the locks on the door tumbling and grabbed my gun from the table. When the door opened, I realized that I had my gun trained on a very sweaty Ranger and quickly flicked on the safety and replaced it to its previous position on the table. Ranger was smiling at me.

"Glad to see that you are finally aware of your surroundings, Babe," he said still with a slight grin on his face.

"Siriano had better be afraid right about now. I am seriously pissed off right about now and I'm going nuts. He is making me live in fear, which just happens to be something I hate. A woman scorned…" I trailed off with a mischievous grin on my face.

Ranger tipped back his head and laughed at my threat. "Maybe I should thank him," he said, "I've been trying for years to get you to use your gun and he did it in two days."

I glared at him; but then laughed slightly, unable to hold it back any longer.

"Babe, I have some kind of bad kind of good news. Trenton PD was able to get some fingerprints off of the door on your apartment. They match to Ramirez. He is one of the top suspects in the firebombing. He is now wanted for attempted murder along with his original charges and the breakout. Everyone is now looking for him harder than before," he finished.

I nodded without any show of emotion on my face (that I was aware of anyway). I felt kind of relieved that the search for him was now a higher priority than before but now I knew that Ramirez really was out to get me.

Just then, my phone rang. I picked it up with a simple "Yo."

"Hello Stephanie," a menacing voice said.

"Who is this?"

"You know who this is Stephanie. This is the Man. You killed the Champ, now the Man is out to get you. I would watch your back, Stephanie. The Man is like a cat. He will find you and when he does, he will show you no mercy. Morelli was only a taste of what is to come."

"Ramirez?"

"Your mother is a pretty woman, Stephanie. Maybe the Man should show her too. Would you like that Stephanie? I would let you watch."

"You stay away from her you bastard. It's me you want. Leave everyone else out of this."

"Did you like what Morelli did to you? He didn't want to at first, but the Man persuaded him. He shouldn't have been drinking. It was easy for the Man to convince him."

"You were the one helping him, weren't you?"

"Tonight is your last chance Stephanie. If the Man doesn't have you by 3 a.m. your mother will suffer for you. Maybe your grandma too. Come alone. Don't alert anyone to this. If you try to pull anything, the Man will show no mercy. To you or those you love. 3 a.m. Stephanie."

There was the telltale click of a disconnect and my first thought was "_Oh, Shit!_"

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Sorry for the delay. I had writers block.

Reviews are love. Constructive criticism appriciated.


	15. In A Bar On Stark Street

Disclaimer- I own nothing, zip, nada.

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Chapter 15

_OMIGOD!!! What do I do?_ I had the phone in a death grip. _He is after my mother and grandmother. I can't let them get hurt. I can't tell Ranger because then he will hurt them. I guess I'm on my own then. _Ranger was staring at me as I was thinking. He had noticed my fear and was waiting for me to explain.

I was looking down at my feet, ashamed to look at him. I had always been able to tell him anything, but right now, the lives of my family and friend were at stake. I knew that I had to go to Ramirez and Ranger would stop me if I told him. I knew what I had to do. I didn't like it but I had to do it.

"How could you do this to me Ranger? I thought you loved me? Mary Lou just called me to say that she saw you kissing Jeanne Ellen this morning while I thought that you were at the gym. Do you think that I have been through enough in the past few days? Am I really that unimportant to you?!" I screamed at him. _This is the only way, _I told myself.

Ranger was looking at me with a hurt look on his face. "But Babe, I…"

"Don't Babe me Ranger! You lied to me! I hate you! I'm leaving! Don't look for me, don't send anyone after me, and don't call me!" I screamed. I was in tears now that were not an act at all. I hated doing this. I loved him and I knew that I was killing him with my words and I knew it. _I'll make it up to him when I get back… if I get back, _I thought.

"Babe, listen to me. I would never-" he had been reaching out to me.

"Don't touch me!" I screamed at him. With one last look at him I ran out of the door. Possibly for the last time in my life.

I ran to the elevator and frantically tried to make it go to the garage. As the doors were closing I could see Ranger recovering from his shock and chasing me. I could only hope that the elevator would get me down there before Ranger.

I was in luck… well, sort of. Tank was waiting for me in the garage. I ran away from him to my car, which had gotten there somehow, and floored it out of the garage. Tank had tried to catch up to me but he was afraid to touch me, afraid to hurt me or throw me into another flashback.

Within minutes I was at a bar on Stark Street. I knew Ranger would never think to look for me here, making it an ideal place to wait for Ramirez to find me. I bought a coke so that I wouldn't look to out of place. Yeah, right. I was a white woman sitting in a bar in the ghetto drinking soda. I wasn't too scared. Everyone knew that I was acquainted with Ranger and they weren't likely to mess with Ranger's girl. This was a very good thing.

About 20 minutes after my arrival, I looked up to see a big man dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with dark sunglasses. He looked like he belonged here and was staring at me. I didn't recognize the man. He slowly began to walk toward me and our gazes held. When he was about 6 feet from me, he removed his glasses to reveal the eyes that were on the picture in the envelope that I received no more that 8 hours ago. This was Siriano Ramirez, and he was here to get me.

Everyone in the bar was watching us and their eyes were flicking between the door and us obviously waiting for the Merry Men or Ranger himself to come in and beat the hell out of this guy. For the first time, I was hoping that no one showed up.

He spoke slowly and without breaking our eye contact, "So… this is Stephanie Plum, the woman who killed the Champ. The Man don't like it when you kill his brothers. That's not very nice. You gonna wish you be dead when the Man be through with you Stephanie Plum. You scared? You are, the Man can see it in your eyes. You fear what the Man gonna do to you. So noble of you to give yourself up to try to protect your family, Stephanie. But you still be scared. The Man let you in on a little secret," he said, and then he leaned toward me, "you should be."

He then slapped me in the face so hard that I felt my lip split and I could taste the blood in my mouth. I fell from my chair onto the floor but refused to fight back. If I did, I might anger him and that would be the end of me.

I had gained a few skills while being a bounty hunter. One of those skills was to stay calm in an emergency. If I could hold it together long enough, I could save myself by being able to think clearly and rationally. I knew that if I waited long enough for him to pull a weapon, the gun in my jacket pocket could save me. He wasn't very smart. He was beating me in public with witnesses all around. I guess he had nothing to lose and wasn't worried about the consequences of his actions.

Siriano picked me up by my hair and pulled me to my feet. I was trying hard not to cry out in pain. When I was standing he, once again, slapped me, a backhand this time, making me fall to the floor. I was sitting upright on the floor with my torso turned to my right side, knees bent partially underneath me, and my hair hiding the fact that I was watching his every move. My gun was in my left pocket. If he pulled out a weapon, I could easily hide that I was going for a gun and take him down without trouble.

My luck was with me today. Ramirez pulled a knife from his pocket and started toward me. I quickly pulled my .38 and shot him 5 rounds in the chest without flinching. I was bothered by the fact that I had killed him, but I knew that it was him or me and he had nothing to lose anyway.

He collapsed on the floor in front of me and I could see little black dots dancing in front of my eyes. The blood loss, shock of killing Ramirez, and possible concussion were getting to me and I could hear the words, "Somebody call Ranger!" before everything went black.

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Hope you like it.

I am only planning on writing a few more chapters on this story. Should I

A). Write a sequel about the relationship between Ranger and Stephanie and possibly some children?

B). Write a sequel where Joe becomes a good guy again and, once again, the relationship between Ranger and Stephanie?

C). Start from scratch with a whole other plot?

D). Other

Suggestions, Constructive critcism and even flames are okay as long as you tell me why you hate it.

Reviews are love!!!!! 3


	16. I Have Everything

Once, again, I own nothing. Zip. Nada.

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Chapter 16

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Shut up you stupid clock! Five more minutes!" I said. I tried to flip over quickly to bury my face in the pillow and then immediately when I felt a burst pain all over. It was then that I noticed that a deep masculine voice was chuckling.

_Ranger!_

I also noticed the strong antiseptic smell in the room. Memories of the recent past flashed through my mind. I had lied to Ranger. I met Ramirez in a bar on Stark Street. He beat me and I killed him and passed out. O God…

My face must have given away the fact that I was about to barf because Ranger held a trash can in front of my face and held my hair back as I puked up the last 10 years worth of food that I had eaten.

When I was finally done I asked Ranger for a tissue and wiped my mouth before opening my eyes. Tank was standing at the door watching me with concern on his face. He was probably here to support Ranger while he stayed to watch over me.

We were in a hospital room that was for one bed only but wasn't cramped. A couch sat off to one side while an armchair had been pulled to rest by the bed which is where Ranger sat, watching me, and waiting for an explanation or question.

I started in immediately, "Oh my God, Ranger! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean anything I said, I just had to find a way out of RangeMan and it was the only thing that I could think of! Please, don't be mad at me cause I love you and I would never do anything to hurt you and-" my incessant ranting was put to an end by a large callused hand over my mouth. He held up his hand to tell me to stop talking and listen for a second.

He removed his hand and started to speak, "After you left, I about lost it. I called Mary Lou and started yelling at her for telling lies when Lenny came on the phone and that if I didn't stop, he would call the cops for harassment. Mary Lou came back on and, sobbing all the while, told me that she hadn't spoken with you lately because two of the kids had been sick. It was then that I realized that you were just trying to get out of the building. I apologized and hung up and then sent out messages to everyone to find you, and I mean everyone. When I got the call from Charlie- the bartender where you met Ramirez- that you were there I rushed over and now here we are," he finished.

I almost burst into tears: one because I loved him and I was relieved that he wasn't mad, two because it was my time of the month, and three because I was so scared about being in trouble for killing Ramirez, and four because of the emotional overload that I had been faced with lately.

Ranger noticed and took me in his arms before I burst into uncontrollable sobbing. I don't know how long we stayed in each others arms before I fell asleep once again, feeling safe and happy like I hadn't in so long.

The next time that I woke up, the room was slightly dark and I was alone. I began to panic at being left alone, before Ranger walked in and smiled at me. He waved some papers in the air and said, "Babe, you have officially been released. If you agree, I'm going to take you home, stick you in the shower, feed you, and take you to bed with me before we have to face the real world again."

"Carlos, I just don't think I'm ready to go back to my apartment yet. Would it be okay if I stayed with you for a little while? Please?" I asked him.

He laughed out loud and I narrowed my eyes, wondering if he thought that my anxiety was funny. He shook his head at me and said, "Babe, I will never think that your anxiety is funny. So don't ever think that. I thought it was funny that you assumed that I was going to take you to your apartment. I love you Steph and I want to you come live with me permanently, but that is a subject for a different day. Now come on, let's get you dressed and out of here."

I smiled and nodded vigorously thinking that I loved him too and that I really wanted to make us work. I was happier than ever before. I finally had everything that I could possibly need or want. I had Carlos and he was my everything and always will be. I love him, because he gave me my very own batman.

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This is the end. I don't really like this chapter but I guess that it's okay. I have decided to do a sequel to this story including marriage and kids, in other words, fluffier but still with some plot and action in it. Thanks to all of you who have read this story and I really hope that you liked it and that you will read the next one as well. It might be a while because of school starting but I'm not sure. Thanks again to all of you and I can't wait to hear all of your opinions on this chapter and story as a whole.

Remember that reviews are love!!!!!!!!


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